The Forge of Time
by Veneesla
Summary: Kora was an ordinary girl, but when she is bitten by the Great Devourer, her life will change forever.
1. When My Life Was Normal

**A/N: Ok this is my first fanfic, hope you like it! Shout out and special thanks to SunnySP for letting me use her OC's Arua and June. I couldn't have done this without ya! This story takes place midway through the Episode 13 of Rise of the Snakes.**

**disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago I do own my OC: Kora**

(Kora's POV)

I waited outside the video store. My friends who lived on the street worked in there to pay for food. I met them while they were begging for food before they had taken the jobs. Arua and her little sister June had graciously taken the food I offered and I made sure to give them some every day since. This loyalty and empathy I showed and felt made me develop a close bond with those two orphans who were kicked out of their abusive father's house. I helped Arua and June support themselves by offering to help them get a job. Although they still needed to beg and steal, I didn't judge them for that choice and I mainly spent my free time hanging out with them.

A little bell chimed to signal that the door to the video store opened. I looked up as two girls emerged from the store. The first girl was Arua. She was 16 years old and had long straight blonde hair and green eyes. She had freckles that appeared on the tops of her cheeks and stretched across her nose. Arua wore a dirty emerald green T-shirt and tattered orange pants. The other girl was June. She was 10 years old. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and she had bright blue eyes. June had no freckles and wore a silver and blue T-shirt with a spiral pattern and a few stains on it and a pink skirt.

"Hey guys, what kept you?" I asked glancing at my watch. "Your shift should of ended 10 minutes ago."

"June bumped into the newspaper rack and we had to stay behind to restack it." Arua explained.

I looked at June who nodded shyly. June is mute, she communicates to others through her facial expressions and what she writes on paper. She always has some handy.

"Well I thought today we could check out the rally in the park by the train station," I offered.

"What are they rallying about?" Arua asked.

"Believe it or not, Serpentine attacks."

Both Arua and June looked shocked, then Arua frowned.

"Serpentine don't exist Kora, don't try to scare June," she warned.

"I'm not trying to. I'm serious! Here, I'll prove it," I told her.

I led the girls to the park. Set up in the middle of the park was a huge stage when the group "The Royal Blacksmiths" were performing. In front of the stage, a huge group of people were gathered and chanting "Hey, hey, what do we say? We want snakes to slither away!"

I looked at Arua with a 'I told you so' kind of face but she didn't look convinced.

"They could just be talking about regular snakes," Arua pointed out.

"Ugh, fine. I'll ask someone," I said exasperatedly.

I walked up to a man in overalls and tapped him on the shoulder. He was old with grey hair and bright blue eyes and his shirt and overalls were filthy. I was a bit nervous, but I had to prove my point.

"Excuse me, sir. Why is everyone gathered here?" I asked politely.

"Oh! Take a note Edna," said the man nudging the woman next to him. "Real live street kids!"

He gestured to Arua and June. June looked down at her feet, too shy to look up while Arua glared and seemed to radiate anger. I glared at the old couple.

"Hey! Those are my friends you're talking about! And you didn't even answer me! I'll say it again. Why is everyone gathered here?" I exclaimed.

"Oh Ed," said the woman called Edna, writing on a notepad. "You've upset the poor dears. Everyone is gathered here to raise awareness about the Serpentine attacks recently."

"Thanks." I said stiffly.

We walked away from the old people and hung at the back of the crowd of chanters. I once again pulled my 'I told you so' face but neither of them were looking at me. June was nervously staring at the ground. "Probably thinking of the Serpentine attacks." I thought. Arua was comforting her but I could still see rage in her eyes.

"Don't worry about that old dude," I comforted. "He's got no self-control, you know old people. Saying stuff before they think it through." I turned to June "Don't worry no Serpentine will get to you while your sister and I are here for you!"

The moment I finished my sentence the nearby train station exploded. We screamed in terror as a huge snake emerged from the ruins and reared its head and roared.

**A/N: I hope you liked it so far! I am a little new to this. Stick around for more!**


	2. The Snake Attacks

**A/N: I hope you liked the last chapter! It was kinda short but I'll make it up later on! Thanks for the cookie JaysGirl2!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago**

(Kora's POV)

The explosion attracted the attention of the chanters in the crowd who screamed and ran for their lives. I turned to Arua and June.

"We have to split up so the snake can't get us all!" I cried.

Without waiting for an answer, I sprinted to the stage where The Royal Blacksmiths were still performing. They had their eyes shut and were oblivious to the commotion occurring. I jumped onto the stage and whacked the nearest man on the arm. He was holding maracas and had big, bushy eyebrows and a thick moustache. His hair was a dull grey and he gave off a pompous impression.

"RUN YOU IDIOT!" I screeched in his face.

He opened his eyes and frowned. He opened his mouth like he was about to speak but stopped when he saw the huge snake edging this way. He screamed and bolted. _There's not much time left to get these musicians to safety,_ I thought. But apparently I didn't need to tell them to stop. They stopped on their own as they realised there was no music from the maracas. They opened their eyes.

"Lou!" One of them exclaimed as he saw the bushy eyebrow man run away.

Panicking, I ran up to one of the three remaining musicians and turned his head to the huge snake. He screamed which alerted the other two and they sprinted off stage. I was about to follow when I heard someone yell out.

"Kora!" Called the voice.

_That sounds like Arua!,_ I thought, pausing. _She's ok!_ I turned hoping to see her but instead I saw a giant snakes mouth. I screamed and tried to run away but one of the fangs from the snake latched onto my left arm. I cried out in pain as it lifted me up, threw me into the air and swallowed me whole.

(Arua's POV)

"We have to split up so the snake can't get us all!" Kora cried.

Kora sprinted to the stage the moment she finished speaking. _I see her logic but we would be safer if we stuck together__!_ I thought. I took June's hand.

"This way!" I called out to the chanters. "Let's go June," I added to her.

June looked petrified but nodded. I ran to the shelter of an alleyway and the chanters that heard me ran in behind me. I noticed the old couple from before in plain sight, heading to their car. 'Please eat those wretched people!' I thought. 'And don't notice us here! Wait, where's Kora?'

I looked around for her but I was interrupted by June tugging on my sleeve. I looked down at her face. She was terrified and was pointing urgently at the stage. I followed her gaze and saw Kora alerting three musicians. The snake was right in front of them, opening its mouth. _It's gonna eat her!_

Panicking, I yelled out. "Kora!"

It was too late. The snake flung her into the air and swallowed her whole.

_"NO!"_ I screeched.

Tears streamed down my face as I comforted June. My best friend… gone…

**A/N: Don't worry folks! There is more to come!**


	3. The Fate of Kora

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! You're all so kind. Here's a cookie for my first 3 faithful reviewers. JaysGirl2 here's your cookie (::). One for SunnySP, (::) and one for CuteBlueCherri (::). Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago**

(Sensei Wu's POV)

"It's no use hiding Pythor!" I called out to the open air. "Show yourself!"

I looked around the Great Devourer's stomach, searching for Pythor. There was so many things in here. Even a piece of The Destiny's Bounty. I shook my head. _I hope the ninja are alive,_ I thought. I walked forward a few steps and my foot hit something solid. _My teapot!_

"Take your time Pythor," I said, sipping some tea. "I've got all day."

I suddenly heard a scream getting louder and louder. My ears told me the scream was coming from the oesophagus. I turned my head towards it and a girl fell into the Devourer's stomach. She groaned in pain. I made my way towards her.

I knelt down next to the girl, still alert in case of Pythor's reappearance. The girl was clutching her left forearm and looked up at me like I was crazy. She had dark brown eyes and freckles were scattered randomly on her skin. Her hair was long, slightly wavy and golden brown and it was split into thirds. One third rested on her back while the other two were on the front of either of her shoulders. She wore a purple shoestring top and dark purple cargo pants. I heard her groan again as she examined her injured forearm. It had a big gash in it that looked deep and it had a green glow. _Oh no,_ I thought. _I've only seen that glow once before. I'd better ask to be sure..._

(Kora's POV)

I landed on something hard and cold and groaned in pain. _I'm in a stomach?_ I thought looking around. It was littered with stuff of all shapes and sizes and in the center on the stomach was a pool of acid that cast such a bright glow, it illuminated the entire place. I looked down to see I was lying on the roof of a car. I sat up.

An old man walked into view and knelt down beside me, alert. Questions buzzed in my head but I didn't have the strength to say them. My left arm felt like it was on fire and I clutched my forearm. I looked at the old man he was in white, clean clothes, wore a straw hat and had a long white beard and moustache combo. _This is a stomach!_ I thought. _There shouldn't be anyone here!_ I gave him a 'you're crazy' kind of look. I let out a groan as my forearm throbbed. I examined it and my eyes widened in shock as I realised the deep gash in it was glowing green.

"Are you alright?" The old man asked me. "How did you get injured?"

"I-I don't think so," I drew a sharp breath and continued. "The s-snake dug its fang into my arm."

The old man gasped. _This guy is creeping me out..._ I thought. He put on a serious expression.

"Listen, what I am about to tell you is of great importance, it is urgent that you listen." He told me looking into my eyes. I nodded. "Good. This snake we were swallowed by is called The Great Devourer and it will get bigger the more it consumes."

I frowned. "Why should I believe you?"

The old man looked concerned. "I know this is hard to believe," he said comfortingly. "But what choice do you have? What I speak is the truth and you must believe it."

_He has a point,_ I thought. _And he seems wise. Especially with that beard._ I nodded knowing he has nothing to gain from lying.

"Now," he continued. "The Great Devourer's bite contains a venom that can turn the purest of things wicked. You were scraped by its fang which means you too will soon turn wicked."

I gasped. "What? B-but there must be a way to stop it! Right?"

"Sadly, there is nothing we can do for now," he told me. "We must let the transformation take it's course."

I started to hyperventilate. _I'm gonna turn evil!_ I thought, _that's crazy! Impossible! No way!_ I frowned. _Maybe it will happen. It would explain the green glow in the gash._ I stopped hyperventilating. The pain was dulling, I looked at my arm. The gash was closing at a fast rate. _Ok, I am definitely transforming. I'd better know all I can._'

"Okay, you win, I'm convinced I'm turning evil." I blurted out at a million miles an hour. "Nothing else is going to happen, is it?"

The old man shook his head. "In a normal environment, the only side effect would be red eyes. However, this is no normal environment. We are within the belly of the most evil creature in existence. I assume the side effects will be the same as the ones in the underworld."

"So what happens?" I asked trying to keep calm.

"In the underworld, your skin and hair turns black and your hair changes appearance." He explained, "let us hope it does not come to that."

_He's very wise._ I thought, then frowned. _A little too wise… _I was about to ask how he knew all this when a searing pain spread all over me. I screamed and tried to control myself.

"Please!" I begged feebly. "Distract me from the pain!" I let out a shriek. "Anything! Say anything!"

He nodded. "My name is Sensei Wu. I train five ninja in the hopes of defeating my brother who now has four arms. His name is Lord Garmadon." He paused. "Perhaps you can tell me your name?"

"K-Kora!" I blurted out then screamed once more.

I fell back and shut my eyes. I felt like I was being electrocuted. I was filled with so much rage to all who got me to this position. _It's all…Arua's fault!_ The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks. Clinging to the thought, I turned back to Sensei Wu. My eyes begging him to help.

"I will say more," Sensei said, clearly startled. "The reason my brother was bitten was because I lost a katana. He left to retrieve it and was bitten. In fact..."

He pulled out something long wrapped in cloth and unravelled it.

"This is the very same one." He told me.

He closed his eyes, perhaps to hide his pain. He then opened them as he realised I had fallen silent. I stared into empty space, dimly aware that Sensei gasped. He put down his katana and shook me.

"Kora? Are you alright?" He asked.

I quickly turned my head to face him and smiled.

"Never better!" I announced with an evil smile.

I stood up and looked at my skin. Black. Sensei was right. I walked to the edge of the acid pool and looked at my reflection. I had a black face, red eyes and my hair was a different shape. It was straight and black and sat behind my shoulders. It spread outwards and resembled a Christmas tree at the sides: At random intervals, parts of my hair would flick upwards. I smiled and walked back to Sensei.

"I know of the darkness in your heart, Kora," he told me. "Do not let it consume you."

I picked up his katana and frowned at him then turned away. "That name is a stain on my pure life!" I spat. "It means nothing to me!" I turned back to Sensei. "I am Zeera!"

**A/N: Hope you liked it! What will Zeera do now? What happened to Arua and June? What does the title even have to do with this story? All these questions revealed later on!  
**


	4. Destroying the Devourer

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! As promised, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.**

(Sensei Wu's POV)

_This does not surprise me that she changed her name,_ I thought sadly. _My brother did the same._

"Oh, and thanks for the katana," Zeera said with a grin.

"It was destined to take place," I said nodding with acceptance.

On the inside, however, my heart broke to part with the katana. It reminded me of the days when my brother and I were the best of friends… and what I had done to seal his fate.

Zeera walked to the wall of the Great Devourer's stomach, raised the katana and made multiple cuts until there was a slit big enough for someone to fit through. I sat down and drank my tea as the Great Devourer rumbled in pain. _And this is my destiny,_ I thought. I returned to keeping watch for Pythor.

(Zeera's POV)

"Oh, and thanks for the katana," I said with a grin.

"It was destined to take place," Sensei said, nodding.

_Crazy old man,_ I thought. _Doesn't he realise I'm going to leave him to die? I just need to escape first._ I looked around. _Of course!_ I walked to the wall of the Great Devourer's stomach. _If I can slice through, I can find an opening and escape. Perhaps it's nose._ I raised my katana and broke through the wall of the Great Devourer's stomach after a few strokes. _Perfect. But first, I'll make the snake pay for putting me through that pain._

"You'll regret the day you ever ate me." I murmured as the Great Devourer rumbled.

* * *

(No POV)

"Don't forget," said Kai. "We are ninja."

The Great Devourer rounded the corner to where Kai was standing and stared at him. It roared.

"Come on ya overgrown worm," murmured Kai. "Take the bait…"

The Great Devourer edged closer and hissed.

"Come and get me!" Kai called out. "Whoa."

Kai sprinted down the road with the Great Devourer in pursuit. Kai put his weight on a nearby car as he hopped over the edge of its bonnet and continued down the road. The Great Devourer roared as Kai skidded to a stop over a bridge. He leapt onto a passing bus right as the Great Devourer chomped at his previous position. The snake was clearly annoyed and wasn't going to let its prey get away that easily. It sped into pursuit once more. Kai jumped off the bus and ran up to Cole who congratulated him.

"Nice run, now I'll take it from here!" Cole said as he ran into the Great Devourer's path.

The Great Devourer roared at this newcomer as he tried to run away. Cole jumped onto a nearby balcony and leapt off it just as the Great Devourer rammed it's head into it. Cole sprinted down the street, taking advantage of the Great Devourer's temporary distraction. He flipped over a sign that was at the intersection of two streets and proceeded to flip over the line of parked cars. Each car Cole jumped off was soon crushed under the huge snake's weight. Soon there were no more parked cars and Cole made a break for a nearby alleyway, reaching it just in time. He flipped into its depths and turned to watch the Great Devourer struggle as it failed to reach him.

"Woohoo!" cried Cole, dancing for joy.

The Great Devourer decided to find new prey and it raised its head over the building in front of it. Standing on top of the building was Jay and the Great Devourer roared at him.

"Looking for me?" Jay asked casually.

He turned around and jumped off the building he was on and landed on a smaller one below. Jay ran across this building and onto a tall, square metal frame. He quickly climbed to the top and hopped onto the next building in line. Jay turned around and ran backwards to make sure the Great Devourer was keeping up. He was shocked to see it so close and turned around and flipped onto the next roof. The Great Devourer was keeping pace steadily. Jay glanced over his shoulder before somersaulting onto one of the floors of the construction site ahead. He grunted and leapt into the hole in the floor before him and as he did, the Great Devourer snapped at where he had been moments before. Right before Jay fell down, he activated his true potential and soared up to the top level where Zane was waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Zane asked.

"Save the humour Zane," said Jay, deactivating his true potential. "Now's not the time."

The two ninja ran to the edge of the construction platform where a slide made of ice was waiting for them.

"Instead of a fire escape," said Zane. "How about an _ice escape?_"

Jay and Zane jumped onto the ice escape right as the construction site behind them collapsed, courtesy of the Great Devourer. It had thrust it's head upwards causing the floors to break. Jay slid down the ice escape on his back while Zane stayed on his feet.

Jay giggled. "Nice one Zane!"

The two slid down a few meters but at a turn in the ice escape, Jay nearly flew off. He squealed as Zane helped him back to his feet, then giggled at the near miss. The Great Devourer had noticed its prey escaping and cut them off by using a hammer fist motion with its body on the path ahead. Zane, however, was prepared and, using his powers, extended the far side of the ice escape. This made the gap possible to jump across. Jay and Zane grunted as they flipped over the gap and continued sliding down the path. Jay landed slid on his stomach until a dip in the ice escape enabled him to correct himself.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Jay squealed as he jumped over a horizontal pole in his path.

"Ahh!" Zane yelled as he limboed under it, then shouted triumphantly.

The Great Devourer was struggling to keep up. It broke the path behind the two ninja in a failed attempt to eat them and roared angrily. Jay and Zane slid over one last bump in the ice escape and realised there was no more path to slide on.

"No!" Jay cried.

They seemed to slide off in slow motion, the Great Devourer's jaws literally right behind them.

"Nooo!" He yelled once more.

"Now!" Came Kai's voice from the distance.

Jay and Zane were instantly rescued by their dragon. The two ninja clambered onto their seats. On the seats behind them sat Kai and Cole. The dragon flew higher to get a better view of the Great Devourer.

"Think it's working?" Jay asked.

"We're about to find out," replied Kai.

The ninja stared down at the Great Devourer which was now tangled in a big knot.

_In the Great Devourer at that very moment…_

(Zeera's POV)

"Hi-ya!" I cried out as I jabbed the katana into the Great Devourer's brain.

_Good thing Kora studied brain anatomy,_ I thought. _I know for sure I hit it in the right spot. Now the beast should be almost totally paralysed!_ I smiled to myself as I headed for the Great Devourer's nose. I recalled all I had done to travel to the brain. My katana was not strong enough to slice the stomach in one go but it had made a deep enough dent so it could support my weight as I pulled myself up. All the dents had made good footholds when I had levered myself up far enough. I had repeated this for every obstacle in my path.

"I told you that you would regret the day you bit me," I yelled out. "And look at you now!"

I walked a few steps further but stopped when I was blinded by light. I covered the source of light with my hand. _Well that must be the exit,_ I thought. I kept walking when suddenly the lights dimmed. I put my hand back to my side. _Much better._ Then there was another bright flash which soon subsided and all was dark again. I frowned. _What's happening here?_ I wondered.

"You bit me once, now feel what it's like to be bitten back!" Came a distant voice.

_Who is this person talking to?_ I pondered, still walking to the exit. _The Great Devourer maybe?_ My eyes widened. _It could be Sensei's brother!_ I started sprinting to the exit. I had to meet him! An angry cry came from outside. _Almost there!_

"Vengeance, will be mine!" The voice called again.

_Maybe I can catch up to him and join in!_ I thought with a smile. _I definitely want a piece of that action._ Suddenly I heard a squelching sound and was swept away by a flood of green slime.

**A/N: Another chapter ended. Hope you enjoyed it! My chapters get longer with every entry! More to come. Thanks for your continued support!**


	5. New Alliances

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews guys. To answer questions from Yourself, the answers are as follows: 1: No, June doesn't have a job. She just tags along with Arua. 2: Yes they do, just because someone is dirty doesn't mean they can't work. If you're interested in their past I recommend you read SunnySP's story The Rise of Arua and Friends. 3: June has no way to actually learn it. She's a broke street kid, she can't afford education like that. D'you think parents like hers would give her the education? 4: Although they ARE street kids, they don't want to be reminded of their past and judged for their situation. It offends them. Plus, the two don't know how Kora described them in her mind. 5: I thought of the name before the show came out actually. I planned this story but never got around to uploading it until recently. Now, onto the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.**

(Zeera's POV)

I woke up lying in a pile of green slime. I sat up holding my head. _What happened?_ I wondered, dazed. Everything flashed back in a second and I immediately looked around. _No sign of Sensei's brother 'round here. I have to keep looking. I have a purpose now. We must unite._

* * *

(Arua's POV)

I stood up after being bowled over by a wave of slime. I was absolutely covered in it.

"Ew!" I exclaimed. "Totally gross!"

I gasped. Where was June? I looked around frantically and saw her lying a few metres away, next to a pole. Her chest rose and fell steadily. _Oh thank goodness._ I thought, relieved. _She seems ok._ I got up and walked over to her. Her eyes were shut. Kneeling down beside her, I saw a large bump on her head. _She probably got knocked out by the pole._ I gently shook her.

"June? You ok?" I asked.

She didn't stir. I looked around and noticed we were lying on the edge of the road. _I'd better move her. _I scooped her up and walked down the road to where a bunch of other people were. They were cheering for some reason. I walked up to a group of them and realised they were the ignorant musicians from before.

"Hey, why are you cheering?" I asked. "And what's with the slime?"

The musicians immediately stopped cheering and looked at me, appalled by what they saw. I glared back at them. _Everyone judges on appearance. _I thought annoyed. The four musicians immediately huddled together and whispered to each other.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" I called out, annoyed.

The huddle immediately disbanded and three musicians shoved the fourth one in front of me. The fourth musician had bushy eyebrows, a thick moustache and a heavily wrinkled face. He looked disgusted to be in such close proximity to me. He looked behind him for support. _How dare they treat me this way! It's as if I'm some sort of alien or disease!_

"Go on, Lou." Said one of the three musicians.

Lou turned back to face me and I looked him straight in the eye.

"Well?" I said in a cold tone quivering with rage.

Lou suddenly looked fearful and disgusted at the same time. He then shook his head as though to clear his mind, raised it in a pompous fashion and stared down at me.

"I wouldn't expect a _child_ to know," Lou said in a posh tone. "If you must know, everyone is cheering because the giant snake was destroyed by Lord Garmadon with the help of my son and his ninja friends. The snake exploded and flooded the town in this," he paused, wrinkling his nose. "Slime."

I stared at him my mouth wide open. _How dare he talk to me like that?_ I closed my mouth, put June down and punched Lou in the face so hard he stumbled back, holding his cheek. He and the other musicians stared at me, mouth agape. I glared at them confidently, hand on hips.

"I am no mere _child_!" I yelled so loud other people were starting to stare. "I've been through more suffering in my life than all of yours combined! And yet you think you can talk to me like that just because you have more money? Not to me _pal_. I deserve some respect."

I picked June back up and stormed off. I went into an alley way and laid her down. I sat next to her, thinking about Lou the musician. Then it hit me like a slap in the face. The snake was destroyed. There was a chance Kora was still alive! All anger gone I stood up. _I have to find her!_ I picked up June again and travelled to the opposite end of the alley way. I heard voices coming from the street beyond.

"But my father left," came a young boy's voice. "And he took the golden weapons!"

"True," replied a wise old voice. "The ability of the weapons is truly great. But the ability to better oneself makes him limitless."

I rounded the corner and stuck to the shadows. In front of me was an old man dressed in white, a young blonde boy dressed in green, a girl in armour and four teenage boys dressed in different coloured ninja suits: black, white, red and blue. The one in white was missing half his face. Instead of skin there was circuits and wiring. _Whoa, what the heck?! Is he a robot or something?_

"I couldn't have said it any better myself," said Blue.

"Besides," Red told Green. "We have what is _most_ important, _you."_

The old man sighed contentedly. "The pupils have become the masters."

Green looked worried. "Am I really gonna have to fight my father one day?"

"One day," the old man replied. "But today we can feel good that Ninjago is saved, for tomorrow you will train for the day. Good will finally face evil and a final outcome will be decided for all of time."

Red grabbed Green's shoulder as the old man edged to the side.

"Uh uh. But don't worry! We're gonna teach you everything we know." Said Red quickly.

"And make sure you're prepared for that fight." Blue told Green.

"Because as we all know, good will always stand up to evil." Chipped in Black.

"And ninja always stand up for what is right." Finished off White.

The old man nodded as Blue, Black, Green, White and Red all got in a line. They jumped into the air and yelled:

"**Go ninja! Go!**"

_Okaaay…_ _These people are weird. And what's this about fighting some kid's dad? Wait, did they say ninja? They can help me find Kora! _June made a loud groan. I looked down as she opened her eyes and smiled. The groan caught the attention of the girl in armour. She walked up to me with concern in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" She asked in a patronising tone, glancing at June.

I glared at her. _I would punch you in the face if I wasn't holding June._ Nobody _patronizes me!_ The girl in armour seemed to take note of my expression.

"Hey, I was just trying to help," she told me. "I'm Nya by the way. What's your name?"

"Arua," I replied stiffly.

"Hey Nya!" Called out Blue. "Whatcha doing over there?"

Nya turned around. "I'm talking to Arua. Her friend here doesn't look to good."

Black, Blue, Red, Green, White and the old man all came over and crowded around me. June whimpered at being surrounded by so many people.

"Give June some space!" I said angrily.

Everyone backed up a bit.

"Is she ok?" Black asked.

"She was swept away by the flood of slime and slammed into a pole." I explained. "It knocked her out."

"My scans say she will recover in time," said White. "She just needs rest."

I sighed with relief. _Wait did he say scans? _ I pulled on a blank, shocked face. I extended the edges of my lips into a hard-line. _He is _so_ a robot._

"Um, ok. Who are you guys?" I asked.

"I am Sensei Wu," the old man said. "And these are my pupils. Jay the ninja of lightning, Cole the ninja of earth, Kai the ninja of fire and Zane the ninja of ice." Sensei pointed to Blue, Black, Red and White respectively. "And Lloyd is their pupil." He finished pointing to Green.

"Ninja's?" I wondered out loud. Then I remembered why I wanted to speak to them. "Oh! You helped kill that snake right?"

"You bet!" said Kai.

June had fallen asleep in my arms, her breathing deep and rhythmic.

"I need your help," I told them. "My friend Kora was eaten by the snake you killed. She may still be alive."

Sensei's face looked grave. "She is. But she is not the person you think she is any more."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What do you mean? How would you even know?"

"I too was eaten by the Great Devourer," he informed me. "The Great Devourer is the snake you speak of that will get bigger the more it consumes. It bit your friend before she was swallowed. Now she is evil and has suffered the same fate as my brother, Lord Garmadon."

Everyone gasped.

_"WHAT?"_ Cried out Jay. "We have to face _two_ evil villains now? We don't even have our weapons! Lord Garmadon took them! How are we supposed to destroy them both?"

"Shush!" I told Jay. "You'll wake up June! And we are not killing Kora! Wait, isn't Lord Garmadon the one who killed the Great Devourer? Why would he do that?"

"My dad wanted revenge for being turned evil," Lloyd explained.

"That's crazy! The guy you guys are after is Lloyd's dad? Impossible. No way should anyone have to fight their own dad." I said, in denial.

"More importantly," said Sensei. "Jay raises a fair point. Our only hope now is the Fikkran Serum."

* * *

(Zeera's POV)

I bared my teeth. _How is one guy _this_ hard to track down?_ Rage was boiling inside me at my failed attempt to track down Lord Garmadon. I skulked around street after street with no sign of him. 'I mustn't give up' I repeated to myself for the billionth time. I revised my plan in my head.

Step one: Find Sensei's brother. Step two: Gain enough trust to let me be his apprentice. Step three: Learn his weaknesses. Step four: Subdue Ninjago. Step five: With Lord Garmadon as ruler and me as his most trusted ally, overthrow him using his weaknesses. Step six: Claim his former title and rule Ninjago myself. Simple!

I was just about to round the next corner to continue my search when I heard a frustrated cry coming from around it.

"Gah! Another dead end!" It exclaimed, then softened to a murmur. "I'd use the airship but it'd draw too much attention. I need a navigator."

I rounded the corner and saw a four-armed, black skinned man holding four different weapons with his back to me. He wore a metal helmet with a bone on the front, a purple belt and a metallic chestplate that covered all of his extended torso, shoulders and upper back. I smiled. This had to be him.

"Then consider me applying for the position." I said to him.

He gasped and turned around frowning. He gave me a look of such hatred I thought he would kill me right then and there. However, his gaze changed to one of curiosity.

"You were bitten?" He asked, clearly sceptical of my motives for approaching him.

_If I'm going to get on his good side,_ _I'll need to sell myself effectively._ I smiled.

"You bet!" I told him. "It was a painful process but it made me stronger than ever could of dreamed! I was swallowed when I was a pathetic goody-goody and was scraped by the fang on the way in. The beautifully evil conditions made my skin as black as yours and I made sure the snake paid for putting me through that pain. I made my way up to its brain and paralysed it!"

"So that's why the snake didn't even try to untangle…" Lord Garmadon murmured to himself.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my excitement. I regained control of my voice. "Now, you need a navigator, correct?"

"Correct." He repeated.

He seemed friendlier as this time. Well, friendlier for Lord Garmadon anyway. _He's warming up to me! _I thought. _I can bargain with my knowledge on this cities navigation to become his apprentice and get a few other answers too._

"Before I was bitten, I knew this place backwards and forwards." I told him. "I can lead you out but I have a few conditions…"

Lord Garmadon looked mutinous but he didn't leave. Instead, he nodded. _He must know as well as I do that no one else will navigate for a four-armed freak like him._

"Ok, they're questions rather," I began. "If you can find your way inside the city, how come you can't leave it?"

Lord Garmadon looked menacing. "How could I _not_ notice where a giant snake was rampaging?"

_He has a fair point._ I thought. _Well, I just wasted my first question and judging by the look on his face I'd better speed this up._

"Of course." I said quickly, nodding. "Next question. Will you let me be your apprentice?" I knelt in front of him. "I'd be honoured to serve someone so wicked. My name is Zeera," I added.

Lord Garmadon looked absolutely infuriated that I was making such demands. Strangely, his look changed to one of interest and thoughtfulness. He offered me his hand and helped me back to my feet.

"I accept your terms," he said in a monotone. "Once you lead me out of here, we shall head for our next destination."

I was absolutely elated. _My plan is falling into place!_ I thought excitedly. _Wait, next destination. Where's that?_

"Where _are_ we headed exactly?" I asked.

"If you're my apprentice, you will call me _Master_, understand?" He instructed me. "We are going to a place known as the Forge of Time."

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you liked it, things are starting to fall into place. Will update soon.**


	6. Journeys Begin

**A/N: This story is coming along well. I'll bring a friend along in my next author's note. Hope you enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.**

(Arua's POV)

"The Fikkran Serum?" Kai repeated. "What's that?"

"It is a legendary potion made long ago," Sensei explained. "It is said to turn the darkest of things pure. However, only one vial was ever made and its whereabouts are unknown to me."

There was a pause, and then Zane quietly murmured. "I know where it is."

Everyone turned to face him, eyes wide. Kai and Jay had their mouths open. _Is there nothing this robot doesn't know?_' I wondered. Kai stormed up to Zane and poked him in the chest.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" He yelled.

"Yeah, we could of defeated Lord Garmadon ages ago!" Jay exclaimed. "All this effort to stop him wouldn't have been necessary if you just spoke for once in your life!"

Even Cole was glaring at Zane. I sat there stunned. _How could they? Nobody's perfect, robot or not!_ I lay my sleeping sister on the floor, stood up and slapped Kai and Jay in the face. Nya gasped.

"Hey!" Kai and Jay yelled.

"Seriously guys!" I say exasperatedly. "Look at yourselves! You're a team and yet you're fighting? Zane may be a robot but he has feelings! I'm sure he has his reasons for not bringing it up before. Nobody can do everything right! Even a robot!"

"You mean a _nindroid._" Corrected Jay.

I raised an eyebrow at Jay as if to say "You're missing the point." There was silence as everyone took in what I said. The ranting had woken up June who hid behind me.

"You guys do yell at Zane a lot," Nya pointed out. "Remember when the monastery burned down?"

Everyone but June and I looked upset. _What monastery?_ Cole noticed June had woken up and walked over to her. He knelt down and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Cole." He said. "You must be June, right?"

June nodded, still hiding behind me. After a few seconds she timidly held out her hand and shook his. Cole smiled, stood up and turned to face me.

"She doesn't talk much does she?" Cole asked.

"Actually, June doesn't talk at all." I told him. "She's mute and communicates through expressions and what she writes on paper." I turned to June. "June, this is Sensei, Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Zane and Kai. You've already met Cole."

June nodded timidly as she stared at Zane's missing half of his face. I knelt to comfort her. Lloyd walked up to us and put his hand on June's shoulder. I realised he must be the same age as June.

"Hey, it's ok," Lloyd told June. "I was new once too. Don't worry, as the green ninja, its part of my role to help you. I'll show you the ropes."

June looked at Lloyd and nodded, smiling. _Wow, June never makes friends that fast! That's incredible!_ I couldn't help smiling.

"If you are finished with the introductions," Sensei said placidly, "perhaps Zane can tell us about the Fikkran Serum."

Everyone turned to look at Zane whose expression had remained the same the whole time. Zane nodded. "I know quite a bit about the Fikkran Serum. My father invented it and it was his most treasured possession. He locked it in a safe in our home and only he knew the combination. I would have told you before but my father never explained what it did. He just told me the name of the serum."

I glared at Kai, Jay and Cole. "I told you he had his reasons!"

"Ok, so we know where the serum is," said Nya, "But questions remain. Who do we give it to, Zeera or Lord Garmadon? And where can we even find them to give them the serum?"

Sensei answered her. "I believe Zeera will have joined forces with my brother. After witnessing what the Great Devourer did to him, I am certain that will be her first course of action. Now that Lord Garmadon is out of the realm I found him and no longer has to rescue Lloyd, I fear he may be putting one of his plans into place. For now, let us travel to Zane's home."

Nya pressed a button on her bracelet and a red robotic exo-suit with a chair on its shoulder flew down from the sky. She put on a helmet and hopped inside the suit. Sensei hopped onto the chair. June and I just stared in shock at the exo-suit's sudden appearance. June cowered behind me.

"Rocky, we're leaving!" Cole called out.

A white dragon with four heads flew down in front of him and he patted one of the heads. I screamed and June crouched down behind me, whimpering and rocking back and forth. Lloyd ran over and started comforting June.

"It is quite alright," said Zane. "Our dragons are quite domesticated."

"Yeah," agreed Jay, "Wisp here is a big old softie"

Jay walked up to a dragon's head that had yellow markings on it. He tried to lean on Wisp's head to prove his point but Wisp moved and Jay fell to the floor. I laughed and even June gave a faint giggle.

"Wait, I thought the dragon's name was Rocky, not Wisp." I said, confused.

"We used to have four separate dragons," Kai explained hopping onto the four-headed dragon's back. "But they merged together and became one."

"Lloyd, you can ride in the arms of Nya's exo-suit." Instructed Sensei. "Arua and June, you can ride on the dragon, Cole can drive."

June and I clambered onto the dragon and sat there, petrified. Cole, Jay and Zane joined us and we flew off, the exo-suit in tow.

* * *

(Zeera's POV)

"Here we are Master Lord Garmadon." I said proudly.

We had finally arrived at the edge of town and were now looking at the desert. The sun was beating down on us and I was beginning to sweat. _So far so good. Lord Garmadon seems to trust me._

"Excellent work, my pupil," stated Lord Garmadon. "You are proving quite useful." He paused. "How do you know my name? I never introduced myself."

He glared at me. I returned his gaze, totally unfazed. _No way he can intimidate me!_ I thought defiantly.

"Your brother Sensei Wu told me all about how you were bitten trying to fetch a katana." I replied calmly.

Lord Garmadon looked shocked then regained his composure. "I see, did my foolish brother mention anything else?"

"Something about training ninja's I think." I said uncertainly.

He nodded then stepped forward and lifted the shuriken in one of his hands. It glowed brightly and when the glow subsided, the shuriken was gone and in front of Lord Garmadon was a snowmobile. I stared at the snowmobile in awe. _That came from the shuriken? Or did it transform into it? I need to learn how to do that! It's an incredible power!_ Lord Garmadon hopped onto the snowmobile and turned to me.

"Get on and I will explain everything on the way." He instructed.

I quickly took a seat behind him and he thrust the golden scythe he was holding into my grasp. I looked glanced down at it and stared at my Master in confusion. _He trusts me enough to protect one of his weapons already?_ I thought, shocked.

"I need _two_ free hands to drive it, Zeera!" Lord Garmadon snarled impatiently over his shoulder.

I looked down at the scythe. _I guess not._ Lord Garmadon revved the snowmobile and headed deeper into the desert.

"Now is the time where I bring you up to speed." Lord Garmadon told me. "These golden weapons we hold are the most powerful weapons in all of Ninjago. My father, the first spinjitzu master, used them to create Ninjago itself. Ever since he died I wanted them myself to rule the world he created! But my brother has devoted his life to stopping me. He has recruited five ninja to stop me and one of them is my own son."

He paused. _What is spinjitzu? _I wondered._ Wait a second. He has a son? Does he care about him? This could be the weakness I've been searching for! At last!_

"Now that we have the weapons," he continued. "We are going to the Forge of Time where the forge designed to create the most secret golden weapon is hidden. It is rumoured to be located in the most high-tech safe ever invented, built in the future but brought back to the past. Legend tells the staff gives the wielder the ability to control time itself making them virtually unstoppable. And that is where you come in." He glanced over his shoulder at me. "I only have four arms and instead of getting six so I may possess the staff, you will wield it for me. We shall be the most unstoppable force in Ninjago! Wielders of the elements and time! All will tremble in our wake… But this can only be a reality if you prove yourself to me. Is that _clear?_"

"Yes Master." I said obediently.

_I have to admit, I like his plan. It is practically flawless excluding the fact that I have other ideas._ The snowmobile suddenly disappeared from under me and I face-planted into the sand. I stood up, dusting myself off and spitting sand out of my mouth.

"Hey! What gives?" I yelled at Lord Garmadon. "We can't possibly be there yet!"

He glared at me and I realised what I'd done. I mentally facepalmed myself. _Nice one idiot!_ I scolded.

"How dare you talk to me that way!" Lord Garmadon said coldly. He punched me in the gut and face. "Next time you _will_ think before you address me!" Lord Garmadon demanded.

"Yes Master." I said in a fake apologetic tone, bowing.

He glared at me again. _Ok, I'm really pushing it. _I bowed even lower.

"I am truly sorry Master," I lied. "It will not happen again."

He nodded and snatched back his scythe. "You may be disobedient but you are observant. You are correct, we have not arrived at the Forge of Time, we are in at cave not far from Ninjago City. The ninja have a dragon and will surely be on the lookout for us from the air and in a desert, we are easy to spot. We will shelter in this cave until dark. Until then, I will instruct you on how to defend yourself."

He led me inside. The cave was wide and spacious, just what we need. Lord Garmadon walked to the back of the cave and turned to face me.

"Here you will learn how to combat the ninja effectively," he instructed. "Prove yourself loyal, and I'll teach you spinjitzu."

"What would that be, Master?" I asked.

_Excellent! Could this get any easier? He's practically handing his fighting style to me! I can figure out his unguarded points and create a counter-strike!_ Lord Garmadon smiled.

"I think spinjitzu would be best defined through demonstration." He said in a quiet, menacing voice. It then changed to a yell as he said: "Ninja-go!"

Suddenly, a dark purple tornado formed around Lord Garmadon. The tornado approached me and I was frozen with shock. 'What counter-strike is there to a tornado?" I asked myself desparately. The tornado came so close I got sucked inside and I was struck with painful blows to my chest, back and face. The tornado subsided and I fell to the ground. Lord Garmadon stood over me, smiling.

"Does that answer you, my apprentice?" He asked with an evil chuckle.

"Yes Master," I said eagerly. "Show me how it's done!"

"No," Lord Garmadon responded. "I must teach you how to defend yourself from the ninja first. Now let's begin."

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter! What can I say, I feel in the mood to use safes today *shrugs*.**

**As promised, here's a pal of mine: Skales!**

**Skales: (activates hypnotism on readers) **_**Look**_** into my eyesss. You **_**will**_** R&R thisss ssstory until itsss final daysss.**

**Ain't he a riot? Stick around for more!**


	7. Cracking Codes

**A/N: Chapter 7 everyone. Things are finally drawing to a close. Sorry it took so long to update, school restarted so my writing time got halved. Another special thanks to SunnySP for constantly reviewing each of my chapters. I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago**

(Arua's POV)

I hopped off the dragon and turned around to help June down. _I never thought flying was that much fun!_ _Now I know what I've been missing!_ I gave June a big smile to try to boost her confidence but she didn't need it. She flashed me a big grin and looked like she had the time of her life. Once I helped June down I looked around.

I was in the middle of a forest with skinny white trees that had brown patches. The floor was covered in thick snow and everyone was standing in front of probably the only thick tree in the forest. I led June to the group and Lloyd promptly slotted himself between us. Upon closer inspection I realised the tree had a strange symbol carved into it. I looked at the branches of the trees but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Zane, where is your house?" I asked.

"This is my home." Zane replied gesturing to the thick tree.

I stared at him in confusion. "So, you lived in a tree house?"

Jay snickered. "No way! He lived _inside_ the tree."

I glanced at June to see if she was buying this. She had an expression on that told me 'What you're saying is weird but true'. _After all that's happened, what with my best friend being eaten by a giant snake and me riding a dragon and all, I wouldn't be surprised if that were true either._

"You're wasting time!" complained Kai.

"He is right," agreed Sensei. "The longer we stand here, the more time Lord Garmadon has to execute a plan. Zane, the door please."

Zane walked up to the symbol in the tree and grabbed the side of a door carved into the tree. He pulled it open and gestured for everyone to go in. Jay looked at me with a 'I told you so!' face before stepping inside. I rolled my eyes and followed him.

We walked down a spiral ramp to a workshop below. The room was entirely circular. There was a workbench set out with blueprints on it and a pipe stretched across one wall section of the wall. A little table with a picture on it was tucked away by an empty bed. Shelves and cupboards were scattered around the place and a little oven was pushed up against the wall. There was no sign of a safe. Zane walked in last and shut the door behind him.

"Alright guys," began Cole.

"And girls," Nya added.

"Right," Cole said, looking a little flustered. "Let's do this guys and girls. We're a team. Zane, where do we start?"

Zane walked over to the workbench. "The safe is in the floor, underneath this."

"Well, come on everyone," rallied Cole. "Let's try and push this thing."

Everyone but Sensei got behind the workbench and began to push forward. With so many people working together, the desk moved easily. Beneath the workbench was a small combination safe. _The serum must be tiny if it fits in that._

"Nice work everyone," Nya complimented.

Zane studied the safe, thinking hard. He turned back to face us.

"Only my father knew the combination, I do not." Zane admitted sadly.

"Did you ever see your father open the safe?" Kai asked.

Zane thought for a few seconds and replied, "I am not sure. I will analyse every memory I have of this place to try to find it."

Zane walked over to the oven and sat down beside it, his legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes turned a shockingly bright blue and he remained motionless. _Okaaay. You don't see that often._ Everyone gathered around Cole.

"While Zane looks at his memory banks, we've got to try and solve it ourselves," Cole instructed. "Arua, June, Kai and Lloyd, you can sort through papers and try to find out anything you can on the Fikkran Serum. Jay, Nya and I will try to crack the safe."

"Wait! I don't like my group," whined Kai. "All we're doing is reading. Where's the action in that?"

I sighed. _I don't believe this. We have a job to do and he complains about how he wants to keep his distance from two ten year olds, the new girl and some books?_ I walked up to him.

"In case you haven't noticed, Kai," I said angrily. "Sitting in front of a locked safe has no action either. Now start helping out the team!"

Kai glared at me. "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the ninja of fire and if you don't stop telling me what to do, you'll be burned to a crisp!"

I glared back at him and slapped him in the face. "Do you know who _you're _talking to?" I retorted. "I am a girl who has lived her life on the rough streets, is talking to someone who whines like, and probably has the brain of, a five year old and has lost her best friend to a giant snake. If you don't start trying to _help_ instead of complaining I'll—"

"You'll what?" He exclaimed, cutting me off. "Slap me for the third time? Take down a spinjitzu master? I don't think so!"

"KAI!" Cole yelled. "That's enough! For the sake of the team and Zeera you _will_ get along and you _will_ do the jobs I assigned!"

"Actually Cole," said Sensei. "I think Arua must learn to defend herself from Zeera who now holds a grudge on her." He turned his wise old eyes to me. "Zeera told me in the Great Devourer that she blames you for her evil heart. Since desire action, Kai, you can teach her. I will meditate in the forest and look at the spirit smoke. Perhaps I can see what my brother is up to. Come now."

Kai and I groaned at the prospect of working with each other. We turned and glumly followed Sensei up the ramp.

(June's POV)

I watched my sister walk up the ramp. Everything suddenly felt much more intimidating. I hardly knew anyone here! They all seemed threatening, the boys with their martial arts and Nya with her gadgets. Not to mention Zane with his robotic face! Lloyd was ok though. He wasn't threatening at all.

"As I was saying, split into your groups and get working," Cole instructed.

_I guess it is just me and Lloyd finding out about this Fikkran Serum, then._ I looked at Lloyd.

"Alright June," he said. "Where do we start?"

I looked around. There was so many places to check! _What if I pick a place that he doesn't approve of?_ I worried. I gestured shyly to the workbench. _Hopefully he doesn't mind searching there._

"Sure, and if it's not there, we could always check those shelves." He told me.

I nodded. _Phew, he liked my choice._ We walked up to the workbench. I noticed there were blueprints on a falcon. I pointed at it and looked at Lloyd questioningly.

"Oh, that's the falcon Zane's dad built," Lloyd explained. "It meant a lot to him but went missing with our old airship, The Destiny's Bounty. It was really cool! It could link with Zane and he could see from the falcon's view!"

I smiled as Lloyd examined the drawers of the workbench. It sounded great but the thought of being on an airship made me a little nervous. I looked at the falcon blueprint some more, then my gaze wandered to a blueprint of Zane that was also on the workbench. I stared, shocked. _Look at all those gizmos! He could hurt me in a snap!_ I backed away. Staring at that made me freak out. Lloyd looked over at me and walked over.

"What's up?" He asked. I pointed to Zane's blueprint and he smiled. "Don't worry June. Zane's a nice guy. Tell ya what? You can look in the drawers and _I'll_ check the bench. We can get everything done faster and have time to watch your sister. It'll be funny to see how they get along and maybe I can pick up some tips!"

I smiled once more and nodded. _He's right._ _We will get stuff done faster. And the quicker this is done, the sooner I can get to Arua._

I walked over to the workbench again and opened the top drawer. It was full of measuring equipment like rulers and protractors. The second drawer was full of files. I stared at it curiously. It seemed there was one folder for each letter of the alphabet. _Where is F in the alphabet?_ I wondered. I counted on my fingers. _Oh yeah, six._ I pulled out the sixth folder and opened it. It had heaps of information on the falcon.

I knelt and placed the folder on the floor then started flicking through the pages. I paused, smiled and tapped Lloyd's leg. He looked over to see my excited face and realisation dawned on his.

"Guys! June found it!" Called out Lloyd excitedly.

Nya, Cole and Jay rushed over. I got nervous at the sudden rise in people around me but nobody took notice. Jay picked up the folder and started reading it. He was apparently the inventor of the group so I wasn't surprised.

"Hey guys, listen to this!" Jay exclaimed. "'Description: Bright yellow liquid, Dosage per human: 7.829 millilitres, Expiry date: None, How to take: Ingest, Notes: Recipients undergo painful process that can last up to 24 hours. When given to average recipient, they lose all personality but all acts become righteous. When given to a recipient exposed to dark contamination, they are returned to their original status.' Hey think Zane got some of that in his gears? The whole righteous but no emotion thing is pretty accurate!"

"More importantly," said Nya, giggling. "They've done their part. You two can go watch Arua train if you want. We'll keep working on the safe."

I looked at Lloyd who smiled encouragingly. I turned back to Nya and nodded, then Lloyd and I headed up the ramp, taking note of Cole's grumpy expression due to Nya stealing his thunder. _I guess they're not so bad. _I stopped about halfway up the ramp because I heard some mechanical noise. I looked around, scared one of the contraptions here had gone haywire. I sighed with relief as I realised it was only Zane flicking back to reality.

"What did you see, Zane?" asked Cole. "The combination?"

Zane nodded and everyone parted to let him through to the safe. He bent down over it and in a few seconds, the safe clicked open. Zane reached down and pulled out a vial of bright yellow liquid. Everyone cheered and I was so happy at the thought of having Kora back, I high-fived Lloyd. I was amazed at myself for doing that. _I'm usually so shy._

"Wait!" Nya yelled, ruining the moment. "Before we celebrate, we need to know how much we have. Zane, give me a measurement on the amount of Fikkran Serum to three decimal places."

Zane instantly replied, doing the measurement lightning quick. "Approximately 7.829 millilitres."

Everyone was silent, taking in the fact that only one person could be saved. _Please choose Kora!_ I begged silently. _Don't let her stay evil! I miss her!_ I tear rolled down my face and Lloyd patted me on the back. I smiled at him. Everyone trudged up the stairs to see how Arua and Kai were doing. We sat down in the snow to watch them.

"Ok, now this is the final move you should know," instructed Kai, clearly annoyed. "It teaches you to disarm your opponent. Pick up your stick and I'll show you."

Arua picked up a stick next to her on the ground.

"Ok, now you parry for a bit from my attacks," Arua began to parry with her stick, "and when I seem to drop my guard you twist your stick like _this._"

He twisted his stick around Arua's and it flung out of her grip.

"And remember," said Kai, "only use this move if you actually have a weapon such as this stick. If you try this on someone with your hands, you'd get cut and you'd have to be pretty stupid to try."

"Yeah, that's kinda obvious." Arua stated.

Suddenly, Sensei burst through the trees, panting. "We must hurry, quickly, to the Forge of Time! My brother is training Zeera to fight and wield the Staff of Time! If they get hold of it, there is no telling what damage they could do to history!"

I stared at my sister, panicking. She ran over to me and gave me a hug then lead me to the dragon. Everyone hopped on the transport they used to get here and we flew off into the sunset.

* * *

(Zeera's POV)

"Very good, my apprentice." Lord Garmadon said. "I've trained you well. Soon you will be ready to wield the Staff of Time…"

He froze and turned to look at me sharply.

"Did you sense that?" He barked.

I stared at him confused and shook my head. _I don't care about what you sense! Just teach me some more moves!_ Lord Garmadon's eyes widened and he ran to the mouth of the cave. The sunset's light poured in like honey.

"Master, what _are _you doing?" I asked impatiently.

His gaze flicked back to me. "There is a change of plan. We're leaving now."

"What?" I asked, startled. I stormed up to him. "No, Master. That isn't what's meant to happen. What _is_ is that you teach me how to fight. How else can I beat the ninja?"

He glared at me. Once again I was unfazed by his look. _With this interruption, my plans will be delayed! But it is worth it to gain that staff. All that power… In my grasp!_

"Don't question me." He ordered. "I'll explain on the way to the Forge of Time."

He raised his shuriken and it shone again. Once it subsided, the snowmobile was once more in front of us. Lord Garmadon once again shoved the scythe into my grasp and we hopped on. Soon the ground turned rocky and bumpy. I turned to Lord Garmadon.

"So why'd we leave Master?" I asked irritably.

"I sensed something in that cave while we were training," he explained. "And I know that sensation. It is felt when you are being watched through spirit smoke. Only my brother has access to that resource and since he saw us, we no longer have the advantage of surprise."

I nodded in understanding. _That explains it._ The snowmobile disappeared from under me and this time I face planted into solid rock.

"OW!" I yelled.

I looked up to see Lord Garmadon's smiling face. _Restrain your rage, Zeera. Now is not the time._ I stood up and saw a sea of huge jagged rocks pointing upwards as far as the eye could see. In the distance was a feeble light. Lord Garmadon snatched the scythe from me.

"We will have to walk the rest of the way on foot," Lord Garmadon instructed. "Just keep going towards that light. We should split up so I can judge how you are at solo missions."

_This is hardly a mission._ I thought, annoyed. _Operation: Walk to the light! Doesn't have a ring to it either._ I nodded expressionlessly at Lord Garmadon and began weaving through the spikes. After a good ten minutes, I found myself in front of a huge octagonal, electrical safe door. Lights flashed on it like sirens and it was hinged to the perfectly cut rockface. It looked like old alien technology you see in movies. Lord Garmadon arrived silently behind me.

"How are you gonna crack this thing open, Master?" I asked, folding my arms is impatience.

"Yes. Either we crack it like regular people and waste time or we use these weapons to our advantage. And we aren't doing the first one." He told me.

His eyes shone at the prospect of trying out his weapons. He walked up to the safe, twirled his nunchucks and thwacked them against the safe. The lights immediately went out.

"This better work Master," I said gravely. "Or else we won't be able to get in at all considering you short circuited it!"

"It _will_ work!" He said angrily. "It has to."

Lord Garmadon walked to the hinges of the safe, raised his sword and it ignited.

"Whoa! Amazing!" I exclaimed.

_A sword that has the ability to burn by itself? Incredible! I want it. But it will come in due time._ I told myself. _Once I get a hold of all those weapons, Arua will_ pay_ for what she's done!_ Lord Garmadon rested the sword on the hinges and one by one, they melted off.

"Now there's no way we can get it open!" I cried, frustrated. "You just made it a slab of rock blocking our way!"

Lord Garmadon gave me a 'I know what I'm doing' look and I growled angrily. He briefly glanced at the safe.

"Get out of the way of the door." He instructed.

I nodded and moved to the side. Lord Garmadon slid in beside me and stabbed his scythe into the ground and the earth shook and I fell on my back. There was a huge moan and the safe door fell forward onto the floor in front of us. I stood there, stunned. Lord Garmadon walked onto the safe and gestured inside.

"Enter, my apprentice. We have much to do."

**A/N: Alright! I think about three chapters are left. This is my longest chapter by far! More to come!**


	8. Confrontation

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Sorry if you don't like it. No flaming please! I think I'll make two or so more.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago**

(Arua's POV)

I watched in horror as we approached the Forge of Time. It was now completely dark and I could see a faint light in the distance and a black column of smoke. They had begun crafting the Staff of Time.

"We're too late," said Jay quietly. His voice turned louder. "Just our luck! Why does your home and the Forge of Time have to be on opposite ends of Ninjago, Zane? Now Lord Garmadon and Zeera have had heaps of time to craft the Staff of Time!"

Zane shrugged quietly.

"We may be too late to stop them from crafting it," Sensei advised. "But that does not mean we cannot win this battle."

Cole turned to everyone. "Sensei is right. If we get there quick enough we can stop them from completing the Staff of Time. If they craft it, we'll just have to steal it from them. Remember, nothing is more important than getting that staff."

The dragon and exo-suit suit began their descent and landed a fair while away from the snippets of light that must be at the Forge. _Something dark is blocking the full view of the light, _I realised. _Whatever it is, we've got to get past it._

"Hey!" Yelled Kai impatiently. "Why aren't we landing right in front of the Forge? This is ages away! We'll never get there in time!"

Sensei hopped off the exo-suit and tapped something invisible to our eyes due to the darkness.

"This is the Plain of Spikes," he explained. "These spiked rocks blend into the darkness and create perfect protection for those seeking the Forge of Time from above. They only way we can get through the Plain of Spikes is to weave between the rocks."

Everyone crowded in front of Sensei.

"My scanners say that it will take us approximately 10 minutes to make our way through. We should leave now." Calculated Zane.

Everyone turned to go except Sensei, June and I.

"Wait!" I called out. The others halted. "What about June? She is only 10. We can't let her get hurt."

"She is right." Sensei advised once more. "She and Lloyd must stay behind." Lloyd groaned while June look relieved but worried. "As for you, Arua. You are not my pupil. I cannot tell you whether you can or cannot come, but if you choose to, your life will be in danger."

I paused, calculating._ My life would be in danger. I may not return. Who would look after June? I may get Kora back if I go. If I don't return, will the ninja look after June? Is it worth the risk?_ So many questions buzzed about my head. I shook them off and looked at Sensei with a steely glint in my eyes and nodded.

"Count me in."

* * *

(Zeera's POV)

I watched the shadowy darkness, alert for sounds. _Nothing, as usual._ I thought, bored. _Lord Garmadon may know how to forge the staff with the rare materials supplied in there but someone of his age should have experience and be faster. This waiting is __killing me!_

"Are you done yet, Master?" I called into the light of the cave.

Lord Garmadon stuck his head out and glared. _Doesn't he know that doesn't faze me yet?_

"You must not rush me, _apprentice_." He commanded. "And keep your voice down! I admit I have had more time than I expected, but this oversight has worked in our favour. Now keep scouting. It is nearly complete."

I groaned. _This position of Lord Garmadon's apprentice is __way less eventful than I thought it would be. But I'd like to see those ninja sneak up on us now! They don't know who they're dealing with!_

A sizzling sound came from inside the Forge of Time. I walked inside and turned to Lord Garmadon. He was proudly holding up a golden staff. It looked the same as the hilt on the scythe except at the top was a dragon's head and in it's mouth was a clock.

"Behold!" Lord Garmadon cried triumphantly. "The Staff of Time!"

He walked over to me.

"Take it," he ordered, "so I may carry the elemental weapons."

"Yes Master." I replied, taking the staff from him.

"Good. Now we must flee so we can learn to harness it's power!"

We sprinted to the entrance of the Forge of Time only to be stopped in our tracks by seven figures. One was Sensei Wu, still as wrinkled as ever, holding a metal spike on a string. I raised an eyebrow at it. _What is that pathetic weapon?_ The second figure was a girl about my age in samurai armour and red clothes. She wore a helmet, a golden bracelet with a red sphere in the middle and held an 'S' shaped boomerang. Next in line were four ninja of different colours: white, red, black and blue. White held silver shurikens, Red had a sword, Black had a scythe and Blue held black nunchucks. At the end of the line was someone who I had hoped would turn up but I never expected to.

"Arua" I said in breathless shock.

(Arua's POV)

"Brother," Stated Lord Garmadon.

"Brother." Sensei Wu replied.

Zeera's bewildered gaze immediately hardened. _What happened to her appearance?_ I wondered. _I mean, I know she was turned evil but I never expected this!_

I was in such a state of shock, bursting to ask her questions yet withholding them in sheer awe that I randomly burst out: "Hey, nice new hairstyle."

Zeera raised her eyebrow and I instantly facepalmed. _Ok, that went terribly and not at all as I'd hoped._ I thought, totally embarrassed.

"Y-you know. It, uh, it suits you. Goes with your look." I said feebly. I shook my head to clear it and looked at her hopelessly.

"Zeera, you know this girl?" Questioned Lord Garmadon.

She bared her teeth and glared at me.

"_She_ is the reason I am bitten. That I had to suffer that pain. That I am who I am." She answered with loathing dripping off her every word. "I would have escaped the Great Devourer if I hadn't heard her voice which made me stop in my tracks and give that snake the chance to eat me!" I looked at her with horror and sadness in my eyes. _It _is_ all my fault._

"Kora I'm-" I began

It's too late for that!" Zeera yelled, cutting me off. "And that is _not_ my name! It is Zeera! For what you've done, you will _pay_."

Lord Garmadon looked at Zeera approvingly while Sensei looked on in horror.

"You will get a chance to use your revenge, my apprentice." Lord Garmadon said. "But that will be another day. NOW!" He yelled.

Zeera and Lord Garmadon raced towards the line we had made and jumped clear over it. I saw Kai and Cole trying to stop them by attempting to hit their feet with their long weapons but it was useless. Zeera and Lord Garmadon split up and raced into the Plain of Spikes. Sensei pulled out the Fikkran Serum and passed it to Cole.

"We must track them before they escape! Use your speed!" He instructed. "Arua, Kai and Cole, follow Zeera. Zane, Jay and Nya, follow Lord Garmadon. Stop them before they reach the end of the plain! I will protect Lloyd and June. Go ninja. Go."

We split up and raced into the Plain of Spikes.


	9. Race Against Time

**A/N: I'm back and with a new chapter everyone! Sorry it took so long. Like I said, this is my first fanfic. Sorry if you don't like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago**

(Lord Garmadon's POV)

I raced through the Plain of Spikes in near darkness. _Those petty ninja will never stop me!_ I thought triumphantly. _We'll live to fight another day, and when we do, we'll be stronger than before!_ I chuckled to myself, the weapons jiggling in my grasp. _After all, who could possibly stand up to me if I have the four weapons?_ My thoughts darkened. _Except my own son._

Suddenly and 'S' shaped boomerang struck me in the back of the head. I stopped and turned around, alert. I saw Zane, Jay and Kai's sister whom I had once kidnapped before, Nya. She wore a samurai outfit. I glared and assumed a fighting stance.

"Give up Lord Garmadon!" Commanded Jay. He softened his tone and put on a confident gaze. "Or things could get shocking."

"You pathetic ninja will never stop me!"

Zane, Jay and Nya all assumed fighting stances.

"How about a samurai?" Cried Nya. "Magnetiser activated."

I suddenly felt at strong force pulling the weapons towards her. Zane and Jay darted either side of her and into the shadows. _I cannot resist it much longer!_ I thought, struggling. An idea occurred and I smiled. Instead of resisting, I went with the weapons, towards Nya. Her confident smile turned to one of horror as I angled my foot and hit her squared in the chest. She fell back against a spike, dazed. I smiled again and froze her with my shuriken.

_The magnetiser malfunctioned! I must use this to my advantage. But what of the other pathetic meddlers?_ I spun on the spot and shut my eyes, alert for a sound that might give them away.

"Nobody freezes my girl!" came a voice.

My eyes clicked open and saw Zane and Jay coming at me from either side with flying kicks. I jumped out of the way and the two collided, crashing into the hard floor. They instantly sprung back up. _Jay doesn't seem to have a strong point for stealth,_ I calculated. _It will be his downfall._

I slammed my scythe into the ground and the earth shook. The ninja immediately fell back down and Nya remained frozen. I ran up to Zane gave him a few swipes with the fire sword which he blocked with his silver shurikens. While he was distracted blocking, I twirled the nunchucks I held and shocked him in his hip. He sparked and spazzed before collapsing on the ground. _Perfect, he short circuited. One less ninja to interrupt my plans._

I raised my sword to end his "life" when I was tackled by Jay. I hit the floor and was pinned on my back. I looked up to see Nya and Jay standing confidently over me. _He must have freed her while I was finishing off Zane._ Nya held her boomerang to my throat.

"Don't move." She commanded.

I smiled menacingly as I saw an opportunity of escape. "How about you do it instead?" I suggested as I gave my shuriken the slightest twitch, freezing them both.

"Ugh! Again?" Nya exclaimed.

"Don't worry," comforted Jay, "I'll get us outta this! Somehow."

I ran for the exit and looked over my shoulder. "By the time you do, I'll be long gone."

Laughing evilly, I disappeared out of sight.

* * *

(Zeera's POV)

I weaved through the spikes while glancing down to examine my weapon every so often. _If only I knew how to work this!_ I thought exasperatedly.

"Hold it right there!" said a voice.

I instinctively froze and tensed. Loosening up, smiled evilly and turned around. Standing before me was Arua and two ninja. One wore black while the other wore red. Arua had no weapon while the ninja had the same weapons they held in the line they used to block Lord Garmadon's, and my own, escape.

The black ninja looked at the floor, disappointed. "Kai, we talked about this in Mega-Monster Amusement Park. If you want to lead, you have to say a cool line." He turned to the red ninja, hands on hips. "You just lost your leading privileges until you can come up with a cooler line than that."

The red ninja, or Kai as he was called, turned to face the black one. "Hey, don't think you can tell me what to do at a time like this. We're supposed to be fighting, Cole! This isn't some action movie where everything you say is recorded for everyone to watch!"

Arua put her head in her hands while I looked on, slightly puzzled. _Is this a trick to distract me? I mustn't take my eyes off of them. They could attack at any moment._

"That doesn't mean the lines aren't necessary!" Ranted the black ninja or Cole. "Our enemies will respect us much more if we gave them a reason to! I don't want the people we fight to think we're some teens in pyjamas!"

"You think they care?" Kai yelled. "They're enemies! We don't need respect from them! Their—"

_"Guys!"_ Screeched Arua at the top of her voice.

Kai and Cole immediately fell silent. I groaned inwardly. _So they weren't trying to confuse me. They were really distracted and I blew a huge opportunity of attack! Tsk, tsk, tsk. What would Lord Garmadon think? Oh, wait, I don't care,_ I joked to myself. Arua gestured to me and all of us assumed a fighting stance. My eyes scanned them to see who made the first move.

Suddenly, Cole rushed forwards and attempted to trip me with his scythe. I flipped backwards onto my hands and sprung back to my feet. I was a fair bit away from Cole now who looked at me in shock.

"Thought I was some helpless, twisted girl, did you? Well think again. Lord Garmadon trained me well." I exclaimed in glee of the fact I had an advantage over the enemies.

_They don't know what moves I know!_ I thought with malicious happiness. _I can take them by surprise!_

Just as I thought that, a sword was held up to my throat from behind.

"Don't move," Kai commanded.

I froze, unsure of what to do next. Instinctively, I ducked, avoiding sword as it swung where my head was moments ago. I stepped to the side, turned to face Kai and thwacked him over the head with the Staff of Time. Kai fell in slow motion. _No way!_ _I slowed him down! Just think what I could do to Arua!_

"Aaaaouuuuuch!" Kai exclaimed in a slow, deep voice he fell.

I gave a delighted smile. My happiness was short lived as I heard a battle cry from behind. I swivelled around to see Cole racing towards me, scythe raised above his head. I lifted the Staff of Time and turned it horizontally to block the blow. He struck me from multiple angles which I dodged. I jumped clear over his head and hit him in the back with the Staff of Time. Cole stopped in his position and didn't move._ I paused him in time! I love this power! Now Arua is all mine!_

I looked around, confused. I hadn't seen her since the start of the battle. _Where are you, streetfilth?_ I noticed Kai in his slow-motion state charging towards me, sword raised.

"Oh please," I muttered.

I kicked him squarely in the stomach and he started to fall backwards slowly once more.

"Ooooph!" He said in a deep voice.

I weaved between the spikes in the immediate area.

"It's no use hiding Arua," I called out. "No matter what, I _will_ find you!"

Suddenly I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Arua standing there with Kai's sword. Our weapons clashed together and we were trying to disarm each other. We stood there, locked in limbo due to our equal strength. After a while, I felt like something was pushing against my back, I ignored it. It's pressure kept increasing but I couldn't turn around to see what it was or I would lose to Arua. She stared at me, her eyes brimming with sadness.

"I'm sorry Kora," she whispered.

She instantly kicked me in the stomach which winded me. I struggled for breath and dropped the Staff of Time. I held my stomach and turned my head. Kai, still in slow-motion, was tackling my back. I was about to move when I saw Arua pick up the Staff of Time.

"No!" I managed to cry out.

Too late. She tapped Kai with the staff and he reverted back to normal speed. I was instantly pinned to the ground on my stomach.

"I'm back to normal!" Exclaimed a bewildered Kai. "Alright! Guess you're not so bad, Arua."

I tried to push up against Kai's weight but I had no strength left. I had spent it all on trying to disarm Arua and trying to breathe. Arua ran behind a spike and shortly after, Cole and Arua raced back around the corner and crouched down beside me. I flailed.

"No!" I cried out. "It wasn't meant to be this way! I had a plan! It was fool-proof! Let me be _free!"_

Cole whisked out a vial of a bright yellow liquid. "Hold still."

I flailed even harder. _"GET OFF ME!"_ I screeched.

Arua grabbed my head, raised it to face her and held it in place forcefully. I stopped flailing and glared at her with sheer hatred.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused," Arua confessed with tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I made you stop and become this way. But it's ok. We're gonna fix you. Kora's gonna come back."

"Kora is dead!" I hissed.

Cole grabbed my jaw and wrenched open my mouth. Arua raised my head, forcing me to swallow. The liquid burned as it went down my throat and I was filled with unbearable pain. I went limp and shut my eyes. Kai stopped pinning me and Cole and Arua let me go, sensing my defeat. I lay there, tears trickling down my face.

Contrasting thoughts raced through my mind. _**I had a plan! It was perfect!** What have I done?! I'm so sorry I helped someone like Lord Garmadon! **He had so much power! I want it!** Take me home… Let the pain go away…_ I opened one of my eyes a smidge and saw Arua. Her face was blurred but I'd know her a mile away. I cracked a tiny smile and all was darkness.

* * *

(Lord Garmadon's POV)

I hid behind a rock at the edge of the Plain of Spikes. The dragons and exo-suit were nearby along with my son, my brother and a little girl. I had to maintain my hidden position and rendezvous with my apprentice. I never trusted her for a second. She was too like me and I wasn't to be trusted either. Our power-hungry souls trying to use each other. She knew nothing of _my_ plan.

Once I saw her, I'd strike her down and take the Staff of Time for myself. I'd spend more time in the dimension I hid in when I escaped from the underworld and get stronger so I could hold all five weapons at once! But first she needed to turn up with the staff.

I heard multiple footsteps approaching. Placing my back to the spike behind me, I brought the scythe out in front of me to see the reflection of my son and the others. Cole, Kai and the girl who Zeera told me was Arua walked out of the Plain of Spikes. I gasped. Kai and Cole were holding my unconscious apprentice between them while Arua carried the Staff of Time.

I growled angrily. _Pathetic apprentice._ It was too risky to take them all on at once.

"Those ninja think they've won the day." I muttered to myself. "But I have another plan. The Serpentine are ripe for the picking and I need an army. They will do nicely."

I gave a soft chuckled and disappeared out of sight.

**A/N: This isn't the end everyone. There will be a short chapter after this and that'll conclude this story. Please tell me if the fight scenes were good. R&R! I LOVE reviews!**


	10. The Ninja Of Time

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! You know I love them! It would be great if you could review this chapter too since it is the last one. And to Lugialover1210: I'm making a sequel just for you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago or the Harry Potter reference in the first paragraph.**

(Kora/Zeera's POV)

Every part of me ached. Even worse, I had no idea where I was! Was I dead? I couldn't because I was on something soft. If I was on something soft then I had to therefore be alive to feel it. I felt entirely drained of strength yet panicked about my surroundings. How could I know where I was if I couldn't open my eyes? When had I ever let pain stop me?_ Come on, you can do this! You're strong!_ I told myself. Slowly I wrenched my right eye open.

Where in Ninjago was I? I seemed to be in some fancy styled suite with sliding doors. It was highly decorated and light streamed through a nearby window. It was sunrise. I was lying on a queen sized bed which would explain the softness. _How did I get here?_ It took me a few seconds to realise I wasn't alone. I forced my other eye open. Someone was to my left, by the bed. They were sleeping on a chair placed by my feet, mouth wide open. I recognised him as the blue ninja from before. His hood was pulled over his face as though he was keeping watch. And failed. _Darn it! If only he was the black or red ninja, I would know his name!_ Wincing with pain, I tapped him with my foot.

"Hey!" I called out, my voice strong and clear. "Guy-with-blue-hood-on-face! Wake up!"

He didn't budge. Nobody reacted or made a sound. _Great. That worked. At least it doesn't hurt to use my vocal cords. I have no idea who he is or if he is on my side though. What is my side? Who am _I? There was a bedside table next to me with a glossy surface. An idea sprung to mind. Mustering what little strength I had, I rolled onto my side, gritting my teeth. I looked at myself in the reflection that appeared and screamed. _My face! What happened to my face?!_ I was somewhere between Zeera and Kora. My skin had turned grey and my hair was back to its old style but was still jet black. My eyes were a pale red. The blue ninja awoke with a violent jerk.

"Ahh! Wha's going on?" He said groggily, rubbing his eyes. He stood up and tried to look around. "I'll save you!" he cried blearily and fell back into his chair.

"Hey, you!" I called out. "What did you do to me?! Look at my face!"

At that moment Kai, Cole, Arua, June, a blonde kid and the white ninja from before burst in. They looked around for danger and then, sensing there was none, relaxed and crowded around me. They studied me, seeing if I was a threat. The blue ninja regained his senses, pulled off his hood and joined the crowd. However, Arua and June hung back. Arua stood in front of June protectively and looked at me, worried, sceptical and uncertain. This sudden entrance made me a bit stunned. I was at a loss for word despite the questions in my mind as I examined their faces. An awkward silence took hold.

"So, um," said the blonde kid, trying to break the silence. "She's good now?"

"Yes," replied the white ninja. "The transformation is in place and within 24 hours, Kora will be back to her old physical appearance."

Kai folded his arms and eyed me sceptically. He was clearly still ticked off by the slow-motion incident. "How do we know we can trust her?"

"I examined the notes on the Fikkran Serum and have their files stored in my memory banks," the white ninja told us in a monotone. "However, they may be a bit damaged since I was short circuited. It says that the physical appearance takes the longest to revert and she will be removed of all strength while the effects take place. I believe we can trust her. Thank you for the repairs, Jay. I hope I appear normal now." He added, tapping his newly repaired face as he turned to the blue ninja.

June escaped from behind her sister and ran up to me. She gave me a huge hug and I laughed.

"Hi June!" I said happily. "I'm sorry I put you and Arua in danger before. I felt like someone took control of my head while I sat back in the passenger's seat if you get what I mean. I'd hug you back but I can't move my arms."

June smiled and nodded and continued with her hug. Arua looked extremely worried for her and edged a bit closer to join the gathering around me.

"Um, hi Arua," I said awkwardly. "Man, I don't even know where to start but you get the picture, don't you? I was controlled, blah blah, it wasn't me trying to kill you and all that. Re-explaining this would kind of be a waste of time. You get the gist, right?"

She frowned at me. "I don't trust you. You could just be acting. You're going to have to prove Kora is really back."

I sighed. "I'd love to but I can't move which is _so _annoying. If I could move I swear I would hug you right now. This immobile thing is really inconvenient. Just think of all I could be doing!"

Jay smirked. "If that doesn't sound like Kai, I don't know what does."

Cole, Jay and the blonde kid laughed. Kai and I looked at each other, frowning while the white ninja did not appear to understand what is going on. _Ow! Ok, Mental Note: No more frowning during the transformation._

"I'm going to quiz you. Only the real Kora would know the answers," Arua said slowly. "How did we meet?"

"Easy! I gave you some food while you were begging on the streets with June." I instantly replied.

"Where did I work?"

"Video store."

"When's my birthday?"

"9th of February."

"Why was I on the streets?"

"Your dad kicked you out. He sounds like a creep by the way. Who kicks out their kids over spilt milk? Literally."

Arua stopped firing questions and looked at me carefully and smiled. "I guess you're the real deal."

I smiled._ She trusts me!_ Arua gave me a huge hug along with June who was still going.

"Ok, that's enough. Both of you. Usually I don't do hugs but June is the exception and two people is more than I can take." I said laughing.

"Well," said Cole interrupting my joyous moment. "If you're on our side, I guess we should tell you who we are. I'm Cole, this is Kai, Jay, Zane and Lloyd. Nya and Sensei went out of town." He gestured to the white ninja at the word Zane and the blonde kid at the mention of Lloyd.

I nodded. "This is great and all but let's cut to the chase. How did I get here? Why am I not still Zeera? And what happened to Lord Garmadon? I know you guys are ninja trying to stop him so skip that part."

"We brought you here," said Kai smugly. "This is our new headquarters if we can keep up the rent. We went to the trouble of getting a serum called the Fikkran Serum to return you to normal. We don't know what happened to Lord Garmadon though. We just had to get you and the Staff of Time out of there first."

"The Staff!" I exclaimed, panicking. "Where is it? It's here, right?"

Jay grabbed the Staff of time from under my bed. "Chill out! We kept it here. It's why I was sitting here at the beginning. That way we could guard you and the staff at the same time. Neat huh?"

I let out a sigh of relief. "Phew. Don't scare me like that!"

"You need your rest if you want to return to full strength soon, Kora." Zane advised.

"He's right," agreed Cole. "We all should get some rest. Kai, it's your turn to be on watch."

With that, everyone but Kai and I filed out of the room.

* * *

I walked into the living room where Lloyd was playing his video game with a cup of tea in my hand. June was sitting beside Lloyd, eagerly watching his progress. I looked at my reflection in the tea as I strode over to Lloyd and sat down on his other side. It was so good to look like myself again. I had hated those agonising and boring 24 hours of nothingness. On the plus side, it had given me time to watch replays of Zane's memory to see their fights against the Serpentine. Now I was completely up to speed. I watched Lloyd's video game.

"Hup, ha, haah!" Lloyd grunted as he steered his dragon.

He appeared to be racing some other dragons and spinning out of the way of their attacks. It was just Lloyd, June and I at home. The others had gone to raise money for this awesome suite. Cole had become a bank guard, Jay had been employed as a pizza delivery guy, Arua had returned to the video store, Zane became a chef and Kai was entertaining at parties. I smirked at the thought. I found it funny that the ninja were using their talents for their jobs. Cole was using his toughness, Jay was using his speed, Zane was using his culinary skills and Kai was using his natural talent: showing off. While everyone worked, it was my job to make sure Lloyd, June and the Staff of Time were taken care of.

"Aww!" said Lloyd disappointedly as his virtual dragon got hit by an attack.

Something moved in the corner of my vision, but I ignored it. Lloyd's virtual dragon only just dodged a random burst of flames in its path when I realised something was wrong. June had frozen in fear and was staring, panicked, at the window. I followed her gaze and cried out in shock. Skales was standing on a window washer platform just outside our window! My cry of shock had startled Lloyd who dropped his controller at the sight of Skales. I stood up and I stepped in front of Lloyd and June protectively. Skales knocked on the window and Lloyd and June edged towards the door on their seats.

"Hello little boy," Skales said as he waved.

Lloyd panicked. "Ahh! Help me!" He raced to the door.

June raced after him and I followed, dropping my tea as I ran. It hit the floor with a loud crash and soaked the carpet. The door was locked but a security control panel was on the wall beside it. Lloyd and June pressed buttons to try and open it while I guarded them. _If only I had the Staff of Time! I could fend off Skales with it. Although maybe it's best if I don't have it on me. He probably doesn't even know it exists._

"What are you waiting for?! Hurry!" I said over my shoulder.

"Door is locked." The control panel automatic response said.

June banged her fist against the panel while Lloyd tugged on the door. "I know! I want it open!"

He continued tugged while June pressed buttons at random. I focused my attention back on Skales. He had used the fangs on his leadership staff to cut a hole through the glass to fit through and was making his way towards Lloyd. I backed up a bit to secure Lloyd and June's position. _Don't push me, snake._ I mentally threatened.

"What do you want with me?" stalled Lloyd.

Skales explained his plan. "You ssseem to be the only thing your father caresss about. With you asss my hossstage, he'll have no other choice but to let me lead the Ssserpentine! Hiya!" He cried as he sped up, bee-lining for Lloyd.

I ran and did a flying kick to Skales' face. He stumbled back and put on a confident gaze and a soothing tone.

"Look into my eyesss." He enticed while rubbing his bruised cheek. "You know you mussst."

Temptation drew me to glance at his eyes. But my glance turned into a stare and I couldn't look away. A sudden knock caught my attention. I dragged my eyes away to turn to the door.

"Hello? What's going on in there?" came Sensei's voice.

"HELP!" Lloyd cried out.

June raced to the door and started banging on it. My attention was brought back to the fight by a sharp bang on my head. Skales had hit me with his staff. Reckless rage filled me and I jabbed him in his stomach. He slid back and hunched over. A click and a sliding sound came from behind me. I used Skales moment of weakness to jab him in the eyes. He screeched and flailed with his staff. It hit me across the side of my face and I stumbled sideways. I glared and performed a roundhouse kick to his face. _Training as Zeera totally paid off!_

"Ninjago!" came an old cry from behind me.

A golden tornado swirled past me and sucked up Skales inside. Nya raced to my side, ready to fight. The tornado disappeared as Sensei was flung into the wall.

"No!" Nya, Lloyd and I cried out.

Nya flung out her 'S' shaped boomerang which struck Skales in the face. He cried out and raced past us. As a last resort, he grabbed Lloyd and held the leadership staff to his throat.

"Don't move!" Skales threatened. "Or the boy getsss it!"

He started backing towards the door. I stood there and helplessly looked to Nya. Her gaze was confident.

"Magnetiser activated." She said as she pointed her hand at Skales.

His staff flung into her grip and I felt a tap on my hip. I looked to see June nervously tapping me with the Staff of Time in her grasp. I grinned as I took it from her. _I wonder if..._ I tapped the staff on the floor. Time all around me was frozen.

"Sweet!" I yelled.

I walked in front of Skales who was in the middle of making a break for it down the hall. I tapped the staff on the ground one more and he collided with me but I held my ground. I whacked Skales with the staff and he froze in place. I laughed as I strode back into the room. I was tackled by June as she gave me a fierce hug. I comforted her and led her over to where Nya and Lloyd were helping up Sensei.

"Are you guys ok?" I asked.

"We are fine." Sensei replied. "Thank you for your help, Kora. Without your bravery, Skales would of surely had Lloyd."

I grinned and blushed at the praise.

"Now, let us clean this place up, dispose of Skales and collect Arua from the video store. I am sure she will be eager to know what has happened."

* * *

"Skales really did that?" Arua asked in disbelief.

We were walking back to the suite where the ninja would be waiting for us. On our way, I recounted the story to Arua. We were just down the hall from the front door.

"Yeah, but then Nya used her magnetiser to take his staff and June handed me the Staff of Time!" I recalled. "Skales let go of Lloyd and made a break for it. I used the staff to freeze time, get in front of Skales and then pause just him. Now he's in jail and reunited with his staff."

We laughed and then Arua gave June a hug.

"I'm sure that was terrifying for you. Are you ok?" Arua asked.

June was still a bit shaken but nodded bravely. _Good girl. We owe our victory to her,_ I thought endearingly. We were just about at the end of the hall when I heard voices.

"Oh, we shouldn't have left them!" said Kai, clearly worried.

"We shouldn't have taken those jobs in the first place," agreed Cole. "What were we thinking? Losing those two is terrible but losing Lloyd is by _far_ our greatest loss!"

We stepped in the doorway to see Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane's agonised faces. Cole was standing next to the door while the other three were by the gaming console.

"But it could be your greatest lesson," Sensei advised.

The ninja turned to look and were delighted with the sight.

_"Lloyd!"_ They cried.

Kai, Jay and Zane started to make their way over to us, arms outstretched in glee. Cole smiled.

"You're ok!" Kai exclaimed, surprised.

"I wasn't going to be if Kora, Nya and Sensei hadn't rescued me," Lloyd explained. "You should have seen Kora fight! For someone who isn't a ninja, she's got some moves."

Nya interrupted my moment of pride. "I go away for a _day_ and everything falls apart!"

Kai walked up to Lloyd. "I guess you could say we've learned we don't _need_ all the fancy stuff. We just _need_ each other."

"Speaking of which." Sensei said. "I think it is time we added another to our ranks. With no one wielding the Staff of Time, it is in danger. Kora has more than proved herself worthy of wielding it."

I stood there baffled as everyone stared at me. _Why would they pick me?! I became their enemy and attacked them! Plus I'm just an ordinary girl! Sort of._ I had to focus for once instead of making a decision I hadn't thought through. I calmed myself and looked at everyone's faces.

Everyone's faces was cheerful and welcoming. Kai's was a tad annoyed but he looked like he was attempting to be supportive. Arua and June looked happy for me but sad at the same time. It dawned on me that if I said yes, I may not see her at much, if at all. She was only here for me and once I was ok, she was back to the streets. I looked at her sadly. _I just got you back…_ I shed a tear and fiercely wiped it away. I weighed up my decision and turned to Sensei.

"I'm in."

**A/N: And that's the end of the Forge of Time! Please tell me what you thought of it. Was chapter 10 a bit rushed? Was the fight scene good? Or was everything juuuust right? Thank you for reading so much! Please review!**


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